“I couldn’t do much about it. I probably weighed 150 pounds back then,” added Reed, who scored 16 points — all in the second half — to Reeves’ 10 in a game that capped Burlington’s historic 26-0 season.

Tonight will be a walk down memory lane for Reed, Reeves and a batch of Burlington natives who will be in Allen Fieldhouse for a 7 p.m. matchup between Reed’s Jayhawks (13-0) and Reeves’ Big Red (12-2).

“It was in the local paper there, and everybody was like, ‘Jan. 6, Jan. 6. We’ll be there,’’’ Reeves said.

“It’s rare two guys (from such a small town) play D-One, especially in the fieldhouse,” added Reeves, who has 18 tickets for family members and friends. His mom told him the local Rotary Club purchased 50 tickets.

Of course, there’s a good chance most of those individuals are KU fans.

“For me, it’s just another game. I’m fortunate enough to be close enough to home to get family to all the games,” Reed said. “I’m sure he’s excited to come back home to Kansas, be able to play in front of a lot of fans who know who he really is. It’s going to be a fun game.”

Reeves — he has started and come off the bench in his Cornell career — averages 6.9 points per game off 47.8 three-point shooting (22 of 46). Key reserve Reed averages 4.6 ppg off 40.5 percent three-point shooting (15 of 37).

Reeves — who by the way is a triplet; his two sisters, Erica and Alyssa, played at Burlington High, as did Reed’s sis, Lacie — was born and raised as a KU fan.

So was Reed.

“They were always the team to watch in Kansas. Everybody loved them,” Reeves said. “I remember going to games back in middle school. I remember how great the atmosphere was. It’ll be great to be on the court.”

Big Red coach Steve Donahue, whose two-time defending Ivy League champs already have won games at Alabama, UMass, St. John’s and LaSalle, said this game was scheduled with Reeves in mind.

“We love to get him home first and foremost, and two, play in one of the most historic arenas in all of sport,” Donahue said.

Cornell, which has won 10 consecutive games, ranks second in the country in three-point field goal percentage (43.4). KU is third at 42.9.

“We’ve got to pressure the ball and not give open looks because everybody on that team can shoot it,” Reed said.

Playing time: Self on Tuesday said it has been a challenge trying to find minutes for what he deemed his “deepest team (in seven seasons).”

“I think last year’s team was easier to coach because everybody knew who we were going to play through. Everybody knew who was going to get the shots. Everybody was happy with who was going to get the shots,” Self said.

“Now you have those same guys (Collins, Cole Aldrich), plus an improved cast and a freshman come in who is arguably one of the best two freshmen in the country. Now you are managing not only playing time, but you’ve also got to manage minds and egos. I’m proud of our guys. I believe they’ve given of themselves and are starting to get it. If we get it, we’ll be a difficult team to guard in March.”

Self talks to his players about playing time.

“I do challenge them, ‘Put yourself in the coach’s seat.’ Our job is to get guys better and win games. It’s not one of those equal-opportunity things. From this point forward, it certainly is not,” Self said. “Not everybody is going to be happy every day. I know as a player I was not happy every day. That’s life.

“We will play the guys who play the best in practice and those that maybe don’t play as well in the game may not get as long an opportunity to prove themselves because we’ve got guys champing at the bit.”

Collins a finalist: KU’s Collins is one of 20 finalists for the Bob Cousy Award, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced Tuesday. It is presented to college basketball’s top point guard. Official Web site is www.cousyaward.com.

Cornell coach Donahue on tonight’s game: “People here (in Ithaca, N.Y.) wonder what to do against Kansas. I don’t think there’s a formula to beat Kansas. I’m good friends with Fran Dunphy (Temple coach who suffered 84-52 defeat to KU on Saturday). I know what they tried to do.

“They have a little chip on their shoulder. Sherron and Cole want to get back where they were the year prior. You combine them with a wealth of young players, and you have another great team.”

His Big Red team will not back down.

“From Day One when they won the league as sophomores, I was amazed at their poise and confidence. You’ll see it in our team. Whether we’re good enough to beat a team like Kansas is another story. You’ll see intelligence,” Donahue said.

About the only way to beat Kansas is to get remarkably hot from three-point range. I had thought that surely the game would be a rout, but if Cornell enters the Phog relaxed, poised and focused, they could give us a game.

In order for Cornell to stay close they had better take care of the basketball and shoot 50%+ from three. I think they will have a lot of trouble handling our frontline, though. Even if they are shooting well, stopping that frontline will be tough, and layups and dunks could still stake us to a lead. Plus, jumpers quit falling eventually.

Hey Mike....Jaybate on his worst day, drunk, stoned and coming out of surgery could still offer more insight than if you took a week to prepare. Your kind of BS comment is what brings down this posting site.

C'mon man..we're all Hawks here. if you don't like it, don't read it.

{sorry, I had a bad day, kind of ripped into you a little hard...guess I better practice what I preach]

JHawk252......You're exactly right about Cornell's 3 point game. This Cornell team, more than just about any I can remember, truly will live and die by the 3 pointer. Over 36% of their points come from 3 point shots. I haven't seen him play yet, but Wittman seems to be the only real match-up issue. He's 6'7 and over half his shots are beyond the arc. Do you guard him with a 4 man or a 3 man? If we put a 4 man on him, I imagine Marcus will play a lot more than Markieff in this game. It will potentially hurt our rebounding if we put a 4 on him. When we put a 3 man on him, it will probably be X because of his length, but will X be able to stop dribble penetration if he runs out to defend the 3 point line? Can Brady guard the guy? It will be interesting.

Their other 3 point shooters can be marginalized by sound defensive positioning and intensity from our point guards and off guards. Aside: I watched Purdue last night and if our guards played with half the intensity Chris Kramer plays with, nobody could beat KU.

Cornell has a 7 footer who is a pretty respectable rebounder, particularly on the offensive end which seems remarkable since they shoot so many 3 pointers. You would think the long rebounds that result would limit the big guy's ability to rebound on the offensive end. Other than the 7 footer, they are extremely height-challenged in the post. As a team, they are not a good rebounding team. This should be a big advantage for us.

We need to pound the ball inside and emphasize good interior passing and we should see lots of easy buckets down low. Cornell is not a very good defensive team. They don't defend the arc well, so if we pound them down low, we should really open up Sherron and X for the 3 ball. Add to that high intensity defense on the perimeter, especially on-the-ball, and excellent rebounding and we should be able to speed up the game (they don't like to play as slow as Temple, but they are deliberate) and take advantage of our superior athleticism.

After predicting 68-63 for the Temple game, I'm a little hesitant to predict a score for this one, but I will say:
KU-92
Cornell-68

I remember back when Tyrel was a senior and our highschool team (Erie KS, probably never heard of them) played his in the Sub-State championship. Needless to say, our team got smoked. I think Reed sat out the entire 4th quarter because they were up like, 30 points. Anyways, it was just pretty cool to be able to see him play in highschool.

With that said, good luck against your teammate, Tyrel, and Go Jayhawks!!

RockChalk......Temple was more than a little overrated. They beat Seton Hall and cross-town rival Villanova and national media gave them more credit than they were due. They are a nice team, but they also lost by 7 at home to St. John's.

Cornell is a very mature, intelligent group. In my opinion, if we beat them by 20+, it's a pretty good victory. Usually a team doesn't play at a very high level two games in a row, so it would surprise me if KU comes out with their ears pinned back. Of course, I'd be very happy with your 91-55 prediction, too! :-)

i am very impressed by the cornell coach. HCBS speaks the same way in interviews they always talk great about other teams and never brag about themselves. as deep as we are especially with brady and tyrell playing mistake free i would like to see c.j. get more playing time he always looks confident and has a nice stroke.

As they say, this is a great problem to have, but what a challenge Coach Self must have to manage such a deep and talented group! It speaks highly of him to be able to keep the morale and chemistry at such an elevated level. It also speaks well of this group of players. On many teams with this kind of talent there would be much malcontent, grumbling and petty jealousy. If these guys can continue to keep their eyes on the prize, this will be a very special team, indeed.

I still think our second team could beat plenty of other teams in the country. Wow! Talk about an abundance of riches...

bradynsdad: I agree with your comments about the coaches, but not with the one about the guards. If Brady and Reed are playing mistake-free, why would you want to take them out? I don't think this shapes up to be a game you can give playing time to someone you aren't confident will also play mistake-free. Maybe one of the easier Big12 teams.

Second, I think you may have inspired the next great social game! Stay with me on this, 2piece. It would be a hoot to play, though men may be a bit more prone to participate than women. It would be called:

"Where in the World Did You See MikeOlmstead?"

One person says: Where in the World Did You See MikeOlmstead?

The other persons playing the game name the grossest places they have seen MikeOlmstead. The only constraint is that four letter words are not allowed and the action and location must have something to do with a particularly loathesome common enemy of KU. The person that names the grossest sighting wins. There can be an endless number of rounds. :-p

Each player begins with "I saw MikeOlmstead..." and then fills in a place and an action observed.

For example...

I saw MikeOlmstead picking his nose on the long horn of the University of Texas mascot.

Or...

I saw MikeOlmstead cleaning a manure spreader with his tongue at an experimental barn in Manhattan.

I am a bit worried about this game. This could be a trap game between Temple and Tennesse. If Cornell gets hot beyond the arc our home streak could be in jeopardy. I hope that the coach will have the team ready .

Oakville.....In a post-modern world (in the realm of thoughts, at least), it doesn't matter what Mike knows or you know or jaybate knows about any subject. Everyone's truth is just as valid as the next man's. In that sense, the post-modern world is a slippery slope that could lead us into the abyss of the next Dark Ages. But then, that's just MY truth.......you don't have to agree.

Cornell has beaten a lot of teams with their quick guards, a tweener forward who can shoot, and a footer hampering opponents' inside games. They've also got some tall subs to go bigger in a pinch, but no quality depth that statistics indicate.

So: here's the skinny--if Cole can control Jeff Foote (a footer weighing 245), our guards destroy their guards, and Cornell has a problem deciding who to match Witmann, their 6'6" forward against--our 3, or our 4. If they put him on X, then X will make their main scorer expend a lot of energy chasing X. If they put Witmann on KU's 4, the Twins grind Witmann down with size.

If I'm Cornell, I play a ton of zone, pack the paint, gamble KU shoots back to its average after a 50% night against Temple, and run a motion offense that uses most of the clock each time down the floor.

I could definitely see C.J. Henry getting ten minutes tonight. Sherron sometimes struggles more against the short, active water bug guards like Cornell's Louis Dale than against the bigger ones. C.J. could skitter with Dale on defense, and shoot over him on offense.

Self will want to play through Cole for 5-8 minutes at some point to get Cole the work against a hostile footer, but on offense the best match up advantages will be at the 2 and 3, or 2 and 4, where ever Wittman is not. Tyshawn ought to step up and dominate tonight. Expect him to be going to the rim repeatedly. The twins could also get a lot of looks, too.

Actually, KU, I was speaking of Architecture, but your analysis from a metaphysical sense is compelling although somewhat depressing, unless the "Dark Age" you speak of turns out to be the New Enlightenment.

One could look at life as a train steaming along a predetermined track that no matter what you do, you reach your destination, like it or not...or it could be an eternally sized room filled with an infinite number of ping pong balls on mousetraps whereby one action triggers an infinite number of individual yet similar reactions.

HHMMMM...I don't like either of those so I'll just say life is the next game on the Kansas schedule, the next season in the near future and the next era forever.

oldalum i would be hard pressed to take them out to they are great foundations i just want to see c.j. get some playing time so when we get down the stretch during the big12 tournament and ncaa tournament self can trust putting him in there. after all as deep as we are kids still feel the grind and get wore out.

bradynsdad......You bring to mind a point I have been pondering the last few weeks: Will X hit the freshman wall?

On the one hand, I'm inclined to believe ALL freshmen do hit the wall somewhere in the midst of conference play.

On the other hand, I read about the exercise regimen the Henry brothers put themselves through and see the "NBA-ready" body X has and I wonder. Just to be safe, I'd like to see him playing about 20 minutes per night until the first week of February unless we absolutely need him to play 30 minutes to win.

ku in response i believe x hitting a wall could be possible but only in his head and only a small wall. self commented that he tries to only do what the coaches tell him, he is young and should be allowed to take some chances and make mistakes thats how we grow. c.j. on the other hand is twenty five, he is physically and mentally ready to play at this level and will help push is brother through any wall

X has hit the wall that some frosh and most soph (that didnt hit is earlier) hit. only natural, he has enough coaching now he is thinking a portion of the time...instead of going just on instincts like his early games.

ture or not: isn't his shot % off the last couple games...

glad it is now instead of late march, it will only last couple weeks... his 'hit the wall' just brings him down to very good off the 'great' ledge...we'll survive as he morphs.

Cornell will hit the trey, we'll score in the paint: KU 87 Cornbread 74 or closer:

Hi Asadz
I would be worried about this game too, because if you're listening to everyone talking about Cornell on all the other post. Once again the KU haters are calling for an upset tonight but then again whats new.
I think the storm might be an issue tonight with the crowd but I still believe that this game would probably been a bigger worry last year for them to lose. With the weather and Tennessee coming up Saturday but this team should be focused on tonight and win easy.
Asadz keep in mind Sherron and Cole will not want to lose at home and if the team stays on track they will win tonight going away.
I hope for a 20 to 30 pt win tonight
Which would be a nice scoreboard size win for the KU critics to talk about this week.
Cornell a good team win for KU

Thanks for the link to Dana O'Nell's article on the Jayhawks. I truly enjoyed it.

Just an observation--98% of us who post, usually have a point or something good to say. Like OakvilleJHawk says, "We're all Jayhawks! It is okay to agree or disagree. But to degrade or get personal--that's a real turnoff for me. I find it a good stress reliever to read the posts because, quite frankly, some of the posts are very funny. Plus, posters like Chuckberry32, raster and jaybate (I know I left others out--sorry, if I did), are quite informative. So, keep it up, because I will continue to read. ROCK CHALK, JAYHAWKS! BEAT CORNELL.

Jaybate, I suggest you start a completely separate "I saw Mike Olmstead" thread. We could try to keep it going as long as the "Tuby" thread. Isn't it funny, though, that Mr. Olmstead has not responded once he was called to account? No doubt committing hate crimes is an exhausting business ...

CJ and EJ I'm guessing will get about 5 minutes each... games to test our bench are limited. Self will likely fine fune our top 9 from here on. From what I've seen... these two are both just amazing... Many seasons I'm worried about what will happen next year.... I think we're currently set for several years with both guards and Bigs. I'm surprised the Morris twins aren't ranked on many NBA prospect lists.
Rock Chalk Bill Self! Maybe he could do a little football recruiting on the side.

I can't find the game televised anywhere in Kansas City. I have Time Warner and none of the channels are showing it. How do they not broadcast a home game? I don't think I've ever missed a game on Time Warner.

Hi "Mikendal
I think that's the big million dollar ? right now at KU for some of our fan's, We all have watched CJ and we know he can play the game and has NBA range.
I like Reed too but we know CJ is better,He can create his shot on his own, when needed.
I'm guessing HCBS may not want CJ on the floor just yet It might also be Self wanting to limit his star power on the court to help benefit Cole,and Sherron this year. and before you all laugh here's my reasoning behind my logic. I think coach is already coaching and planning his team for next year.
If CJ does not play much he will not go to the NBA next year, So that would be OK if he decides to comeback next year. A win for Kansas
I would worry that he still might leave if Xavier leaves but who knows if CJ wants to play in the NBA he still might stay for next year

Ronan - I was about to ask the same question. Is there a chance that KSMO 62 (Channel 10 or 1471 HD on Time Warner Cable) will show the game, but it's just not on the TV Guide listing? I feel like that has happened before. It's being broadcast on "JTV", which is always on KSMO.

Does anyone else have additional information? If they are not showing the game there are going to be many angry Jayhawk fans on this snowy night in KC.

Ok, ok, I can see you don't want me to savor my last prediction any more. :-)

I didn't bring it to a point estimate the first time, because I had not analysed Donahue or 'Nell's style of play.

So: I have done a bit more digging...just enough to dig myself a grave by making a point prediction at your goading. :-)

I still don't know what offense they run, but expect it to be basically Temple's with a true 5 in the middle, better shooters and less muscle, but not much depth.

Why the same offense?

Donahue assisted Dunphy at Penn for ten years before becoming Cornell's head coach and Dunphy moving to Temple. Fran and Steve have no doubt been burning up some cellphone minutes since KU drubbed Temple.

To understand Temple and Cornell's style of play, that is to distinguish it from something like Pete Carrill's Princeton approach, we need to go back a bit in Dunphy's coaching family tree.

Dunphy assisted Gary Williams at Maryland for a bit (see Maryland and Texas for Gary Ball descended from old Maryland coach Bud Millikan); hence, the muscle in the Dunphy/Donahue game today.

But Dunphy has another, perhaps stronger influence. He played at LaSalle for Tom Gola, who played college ball at LaSalle, but who also played pro ball for Red Holzman on the Knicks. Tom Gola only coached a couple years, but he was one of the all time great basketball players and I suspect he was decisively shaped in the pros by Red Holzman, one of the greatest strategists in coaching in the history of the game. Every Knick who ever played for Holzman said he was a genius only overshadowed by the even greater genius of Auerbach. Gola brought the Holzman game back to LaSalle and Dunphy learned it. If you watched the Knicks with Frazier, Barnett, Debusschre, Reed, Russell, The Pearl, and Phil Jackson, you know the kind of ball I am talking about. Defense, ball control, motion offense, but a lot of isolation and looking for match up advantages. Phil Jackson moved beyond it with Tex Winters Triangle, aka Triple Post, but that was merely because PJ was looking for something with more rigorous philosophical underpinning to do more systematically what Holzman had been encouraging with bits and pieces offense strung together.

Note: the Holzman game is to some degree sort of the east coast equivalent of Eddie/Bill Ball's 70 point take what they give us. But again the Holzman game appears not so systematic, as Eddie Bill ball either, and it seems to eschew the High Low scheme, and the pick and roll sets, too.

So: what we watch when we watch Temple and Cornell is apparently a little recognized hybridization of Maryland muscle ball legacy and the opportunistic style of the Holzman legacy.

With this digression (which was my real reason for getting into predicting a score that I lack a strong sense of outcome about), leave us return to the prediction.

To date, Cornell wins scoring mostly in the 70s and loses mostly scoring in the 70s, though they are not a Princeton offense type of team determined to waste the clock exactly the same amount every game. They will play up-tempo, when it offers advantage, as their 100 point win shows. They can be speeded up, when it is not in their best interest, as their losses in the 80s show. They are opportunists and they take what is given, but like to keep it under control and use rugged defense to create their real advantage.

They are in their own way, looking for match-up advantages in scheme and individuals, and starting from defense, almost as much as Self.

Self probably feels a great kinship with Dunphy and Donahue. But Self prefers hi-lo and they probably prefer motion.

The respect and kinship is not surprising. Self, as 100 has schooled me on so many times, has been a lasting student of Larry Brown's, not just a jock washer for him.

Larry Brown's basketball is descended as much from the NYC ball that Red Holzman took about as far as anyone, I would guess. Certainly Dean Smith was influenced by Frank McGuire even though only for a short time. And Dean cross pollinated this game with what he learned at Air Force and what he learned under The Father--Phog Allen. Brown is great in part because it is in him that perhaps three of the major strains of college basketball play are channelled through and synthesized: NYC ball, Dean Ball, and Phog Ball.

Self is some what like Larry Brown in this regard. He is the living breathing descendant of Iba Ball (Paul Hansen), Eddie Ball, and Larry Ball.

Fran Dunphy and Steve Donahue are purest living descendants of the old NYC game left in college ball, since Larry has gone to the pros for good, and since the Dean/Roy strain basically morphed into what we see today--an offensive and defensive scheme utterly focused on creating maximum trips.

Self scheduling Dunphy's Temple and Donahue's Cornell not only got the Twins a game back home and exposure in New York state and the Philly area for recruiting, but they also give Self a chance to coach against and pay homage to, and perhaps learn from, one of the great lineages of basketball coaching and play.

Self almost certainly had a more practical reason for scheduling Temple and then Cornell.

Self intentionally created a situation where Dunphy, who is smart, will tell every weakness he detected in KU in Philly, and communicate it to Donahue, who will then try to exploit those weaknesses.

Doing this could trigger an upset tonight, but not likely. What it does do is get two opposing coaches working for you. One finds the weaknesses that only playing an opponent can reveal to a coach. The second one schemes ways of exploiting those weaknesses. Self learns how smart coaches will exploit some holes he already knew about, and his team gets a chance to labor through those weaknesses being exploited. Self also gets to learn if there are any holes in the schemes and players he did not anticipate.

In the end, KU gets better, win or lose.

If Cornell had a guard that could handle Tyshawn, and if it had a forward that could handle the Morris Twins, I would pick an upset tonight, because KU will probably shoot back to its trey average and struggle because of it.

But KU has so much depth, I just think even if they can't pot the triceratop, they are going to wear down Cornell in the second half and then crush them down the stretch.

I lowered my estimate of KU's score from the 85 I picked for Temple, to reflect KU missing several more treys than against Temple, and for Cornell's footer making lane activity a bit more difficult the first half.

I raised my score for Cornell, because KU will probably not be as amped and so will not defend quite as well, plus having a footer will prevent Cole from roaming quite so far and being such a terror on defense.

jaybate.......I appreciate the effort. Whether you are right or not, I always learn something about the bigger picture of the history of the game from you and I always appreciate it.

Rock Chalk Jayhawk. We won even though we couldn't throw it in the ocean. One less game on the schedule where we must labor to win. Roy's boys would have never won a game like this. Self's defensive philosophy wins again.

So much for Jesse's statistics that said Sherron should shoot less. He was a man among boys tonight. Cole played great when it counted. X showed me competitiveness on the boards I have never seen from him before. Great game.